


Preventing Godhood

by coolcattime



Series: Mianite Oneshots [3]
Category: Mianite - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Realm of Mianite - Fandom
Genre: Blackmail, F/F, Investigations, Non-Graphic Violence, Rituals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:48:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25776157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolcattime/pseuds/coolcattime
Summary: Sonja has gotten bored of this mission from Ianite. Why she agreed to work for the goddess in the first place she doesn't know, but with boredom having gotten the better of her she may have broken a few rules. So of course talking with the pretty girl in the place she's meant to be investigating is what she should do instead, she hadn't expected to end up liking her so much.
Relationships: Captain Capsize/Sonja Reid
Series: Mianite Oneshots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1706272
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	Preventing Godhood

**Author's Note:**

> Just a small thing I wrote to clear my head a bit.

Sonja.

“Where are you going?” I whip around a few inches from the front door upon hearing Jordan’s voice, surprised to see him staring at me with a frown on his face and arms crossed. I thought I was being quiet enough that I could slip out unnoticed. I sigh, apparently not. I move a little away from the front door with my shoulders slumped. Of course, it couldn’t just be easy. It isn’t like I’m not allowed to leave, if I was leaving to just explore, he wouldn’t care. Maybe I should lie and say that is what I’m doing, see if he would believe me or not. But no, despite his question I’m sure he knows exactly what I was leaving to do. “Please tell me you aren’t going back there again.”

“So what if I am? We’re meant to be investigating that place, and I’ve been learning things,” I’m avoiding the point of why he doesn’t want me to go, I know I am, and I’m sure it’s going to make him more annoyed. But if my time is going to be wasted on this conversation I might as well make it enjoyable. He doesn’t want me talking with her, despite how he knows nothing about her and I’m being as careful as I can be. We need to investigate and this is a way to do it. That and it’s nice to talk to someone that isn’t Jordan, not that I don’t like him but being stuck with only one person to talk to for just over a month would make anyone sick of each other. That and speaking with her is nice. Capsize is just nice, even if Jordan disagrees while refusing to listen to anything I have to say about her. “I told her I’d be back tonight, and I don’t want to be a liar.”

“She’s a cult member Sonja! We’re meant to be watching from a distance like Ianite told us to, and if she finds out what we’re doing or even tells anybody about you—”

“She won’t! She thinks I’m a woods witch for gods’ sake! Please just let me go, I’ve gotten more information from talking to her than we have from all the time of just watching them,” It’s not saying much, we’ve learnt basically nothing. We already knew they were a cult from Ianite, so we can’t claim to have learnt that. Meanwhile, talking to Capsize I’ve actually gained information. That isn’t why I keep talking to her, but we do still need to send Ianite updates on what we’re learning, which is hard when we have no information to give. “I’m being careful, I promise. I’ll always be back by morning and I’ve never even mentioned you, let alone what we’re doing here.”

“Fine, but if you’re ever not back by morning I’ll assume something went wrong,” I can tell he’s serious, though it’s more of a comfort than a threat. If something does go wrong then rescue will be coming. Not that I think Capsize is going to sell me out but there have been a few close calls already. I imagine if anyone else there finds out about me I’ll be in a lot of trouble. Though Capsize hadn’t told anyone about me, I think because she doesn’t want to be there either, though I haven’t managed to convince her to leave. I need to figure out what’s keeping her there, it’s the next step in unravelling this wrong thing.

“I’ll be back by then,” I give him a smile and then turn to leave, despite knowing he’s still looking at me disapprovingly. I know it’s just because he wants this to do well, to make sure he doesn’t fail Ianite. I understand that, even if I’ve never had such a connection with any of the gods and don’t exactly trust them. Still, though, that doesn’t exactly matter, I know what I’m doing and I wish he wouldn’t doubt that. This isn’t my first rodeo.

After stepping into the woods, I shift into my fox form. As much as simply walking would probably be quicker, coming in as a fox means if someone other than Capsize sees me, I’m not in trouble. There are enough people around that it’s better to be careful and there are enough foxes in the woods that I blend right in. Capsize knows how to tell me from the normal foxes, though I’m not exactly sure how. It means I don’t need to worry about her mistaking a random wild fox for me though.

As the building gets closer, I make sure to be careful as I move around to get to Capsize’s door. I count myself lucky that her room is on the ground floor since if not my journey into the near stronghold of a building would be a lot more difficult. Luckily with its actual locations, I can just slip in through the usually open doors and wait for her, not switching forms until I’m with Capsize.

Today is not different, as I slip into Capsize’s currently empty room. It’s always confused me. It’s nice, everything in it also seems well-kept and expensive but it also seems almost soulless, too clean and white, like no one was meant to stay here. It doesn’t suit her but she always just seems reluctant to talk about it when I ask. But I know there’s more going on here than I currently have knowledge of. I just don’t want to push her to tell me. As much as this is a mission, I don’t want to hurt her.

I hear some commotion outside of the room, some yelling though I can’t make out any of the words. It almost makes me want to sneak out into the hallways despite the risk I would be taking to do so. It has to be something important; it just has to be. But I don’t want to get Capsize in trouble, even if my fox form I don’t know the rules of this place so it’s possible foxes being in rooms isn’t allowed.

The door opens and quickly slams again, Capsize entering suddenly. She leans her forehead against the door, a few tears running down her face, and I realise she hasn’t noticed my presence. Unlike her room décor, her clothes are messy and look worn. Her shirt is baggy on her, with a few tears in it. Her pants have worn parts with lighter colours on them in certain spots. It’s different from what I’ve seen everyone else in this place wearing, as they are wearing are much too perfect clothes much like this room. It’s like she doesn’t belong here at all. Her tears though, that’s something I haven’t seen before. It also feels like I shouldn’t be seeing them at all. I transform back into my normal form, attempting to figure out if I should make my presence known. I don’t exactly want to since I’ve never seen her like this but it’s surely better now than later.

“Are you okay, Capsize?” She whips around with a look of shock but quickly she smiles at me, coming over to sit next to me. Despite her smile, there’s tiredness in her eyes and her tears are still clear. What did she have to do today? “I heard arguing.”

“Oh that,” She frowns, running her hands down her arm as she avoids my vision. I almost feel guilty for asking. She doesn’t know about Ianite’s mission, she doesn’t know what I’m here to do. But she is crying, whatever has happened has upset her. Even without needing to get information to keep Jordan happy, I want to comfort her. “It’s just some disagreements about the rituals, I don’t really know what’s going on with them but they won’t tell me.”

“That doesn’t sound safe.”

“I… I know. But well, there isn’t much I can do about it. How have you been, though, Sonja?”

***

Capsize.

I lay on my bed curled in a ball trying to force myself to breathe through the pain running through my body. Ever since the rituals started, I’ve felt pain flooding through my body at random times, most notably right after the rituals finish. It feels like something is invading my body, causing damage as I try to resist. For all I know it could be, I know nothing about the rituals they’re putting me through. I don’t even want to keep doing them but I don’t exactly have a choice in the matter.

It’s funny how one event can mess everything up so much. It had to be these people who found us injured, people who had clear plans and just so happened to need some people to force those plans on. I feel a tear roll down my cheek. It would be so easy to just leave but I know what will happen if I do and I can’t let it. As much as I know something terrible is happening, at least it is happening to me and not someone I care about. At least they aren’t hurting Red yet.

I’ve only seen him a couple of times since I woke up here. He was locked up in a cell, one of his arms in a sling as it had been broken in the attack. I was so confused, at first, as to why they had locked him up but not me. In some ways, I’m still confused. However, their explanation of the situation made everything clear to the two of us, especially just how screwed we were. They said they were going to use me in rituals and if I tried to leave, they’d kill Red. The other times I’ve seen him, while I’ve been in pain from the rituals, he’s told me to leave but I can’t make myself. He’s my brother, I can’t leave him to die.

I hold back a sob as another wave of pain flood through my body. How long will it be until it fades this time? Last time it wasn’t nearly this intense. Or maybe it was and it just ended quicker. I hate that I’m not sure. I hate that most days the pain just feels numbs but somehow it still gets worse. Yet the more pain I feel, the more excited the people here seem to be. It means the rituals are working and that terrifies me. I don’t want whatever they’re doing to me to succeed. I’m sure whatever they’re trying to achieve isn’t good.

“Capsize…?” I turn as I hear Sonja and see the fox woman I’ve come to know. I didn’t want her to see me like this. She doesn’t come here every night, so she luckily hasn’t seen me in pain until now. I never came up with a plan for if she found me like this but seeing her expression, I wish I had. Her fox ears are pressed flat against her head as her eyes scanning over me. “What’s happened? You’re crying.”

“I’m fine, really I’m—” I cut off my own lie with a moan as another wave of pain runs over my body. Sonja kneels next to me on the bed, obviously examining me for injuries that she isn’t going to find. Maybe she’ll know what’s happening to me. I know that’s a long shot but she must know something about magic. Though I doubt (or maybe just hope) that she wouldn’t dabble in the dark being used on me. I don’t know if she really is a wood witch or nature spirit as I suspect but what I do know is she is nice to me. So kind to me, despite how she only recently met me.

“Are you hurt? Have they been hurting you?” Her voice is laced with concern, the second part is said with hesitation I don’t want to lie to her, the only new friendly face I’ve seen since I woke up here. I told her about the rituals, which always causes her to question why I’m staying here. I never have the bravery to tell her why I can’t, out of fear that someone might be listening. “Please, I just want to help you.”

“They always hurt, it’s how they know the ritual is working,” I see her eyes widen. There was nothing I could say to reassure her, even if I did want to hide the truth. At this point, I’m in so much pain I don’t think I’d be able to come up with a fake explanation. I want to tell Sonja, want her to help me even if leaving isn’t an option because she’s my friend. I want her to know something’s wrong. Even if I know I can’t leave with her, I want her to be able to help me. Right now, I just want it to stop hurting.

“That’s wrong… Rituals shouldn’t cause any pain unless…” I see her eyes widen and I feel a pit in my stomach. I knew there was something wrong with the rituals but I guess I was holding out hope that it was an accident. But I can tell from her expression that something is very wrong. She’s worried, probably rightly so, but I didn’t want to upset her. Seeing her with this worry makes my heart hurt especially as I feel her attempting to pick me up as I do my best to not let her. I can’t leave here. She realises my resistance, cupping my face in a way I don’t want to admit feels nice. “You can’t stay here, they’re killing you.”

“They have my brother if I leave they’ll kill him,” I didn’t realise the effect my words will have until after I’ve already said them. I see a look of horror mixed with the realisation on Sonja’s face as a few more tears roll down mine. There isn’t a way out of this, not one I’ll be able to forgive myself for taking. I see Sonja start to stand and I reach out to her despite the spike of pain the movement causes, I don’t want her to leave. As much as I feel selfish for the thought, I don’t want to be alone again while in pain. I want her to say as long as she isn’t in danger. Even though she’s always in some danger staying here. While she’s with me though, I feel safer, like there isn’t a terrible threat looming over my head. “Please don’t go, not yet.”

“I wish you’d told me; I wouldn’t have let this continue for so long,” She sits next to my bed, taking my hand. Her fingers interlink with mine in a way that makes me feel safe. I see tears threatening to spill from her eyes. It feels wrong, I’ve hurt her but then why is she staying with me? I go to question but only a whine of pain escapes my mouth. She hushes me, a couple of tears running down her cheeks. I reach over to wipe them away but she stops me, taking my other hand. “I’m going to find a way to help you. I’m not going to leave you suffering, I just need to get help but I promise you I will be back.”

Despite how easily she could be lying, I have no doubts in my mind about her. She didn’t need to keep coming to visit me. I was so happy to see her the second time she appeared. I felt my heart fluffer every time she returned, she made me smile despite the mess I’m stuck in. If anyone will help me, it’s her. Even if her leaving this time terrifies me, the idea that she might not return before it’s too late lingering in my head. The fear is only strengthened by the increasing tiredness I’m feeling, as my mind starts racing in an attempt to stay awake. I don’t want to sleep, not when I’m in such pain.

A soft kiss melts away my panic, and I see Sonja smiling when she pulls away. I feel a heat run across my cheeks and a small smile tug on my lips. As I’m pulled into sleep, I don’t feel nearly as scared anymore. Because this feeling is good and I know Sonja will come back.

***

Sonja.

I rush through barely paying attention as I’m driven by my own panic. I should’ve known something wasn’t right with Capsize’s situation before now but I never thought this was against her will. It wouldn’t have been better if she’d be volunteering to take all the pain but the fact it never crossed my mind that they were threatening her into staying. The warning signs were there before but I didn’t press hard when I should have. I know I can’t have more than a few days to help her, with how much pain she seemed to be in, how many rituals she’s been through. She’s being possessed, by what I don’t know but something bad I’m sure of that much. That must be why Ianite sends us here. I can’t let them finish because there’s a good chance we won’t be able to reverse the possession if it’s completed. I can’t let that happen to her, to basically be lost and her body used by something else.

I fly through the door of mine and Jordan’s cabin, knowing I’m making way too much noise but not caring and I immediately start going through the stack of books for the one I know has information on dark magic. All the stuff is “purely theoretical” but it might be the only way to tell what the cult is doing. As I pull it out the pile, I almost berate myself for not looking through it earlier as it probably would’ve tipped me off as to what was going on. I start sifting through the pages to attempt to find possession rituals. Even if it’s more general stuff it’s at least going to be a start. It doesn’t matter what’s possessing her so long as we can stop it.

“Sonja, what are you doing?” I barely acknowledge Jordan’s voice as I continue through the pages, there has to be an answer in here. If there isn’t then… then I don’t know what I’m meant to do. If I can’t help her then what was the point of this mission? If we can’t actually stop the cult from hurting people, what’s the point in stopping them at all? Maybe that’s going too far but it certainly doesn’t feel like it. Jordan puts his hand on the pages, forcing me to stop looking through the book and instead up at his concerned face. “What did you find out?”

“The rituals they’re performing, they’re some kind of possession rituals,” I find myself barely wanting to say more despite knowing it’s important. I just keep hearing Capsize’s pained cries, so soft that it was clear she was trying to hide it. How long has she been suffering for? Why didn’t she tell me earlier what was going on? I could’ve helped her, and her brother. That thought pierces my mind. I never did find out why we were sent here. “Did Ianite mention only missing people? Is that why we were sent here?”

I see Jordan’s eyes widen and I feel anger flow through me. He kept this from me. He kept something that could’ve tipped me off about the true situation. There better be a good explanation for this and it better not be just Ianite told him not to tell. If that’s his reasoning I might just have to slap him.

“Jordan, this is important.”

“She mentioned two people going missing but she didn’t mention any details, she told me she assumed they were dead and nothing else I swear,” I’ve never seen him this panicked. He runs his hand through his hair and starts pacing, looking like he’s reconsidering every time about the situation. He sits across from me. “What’s going on? How did you figure out?”

“The girl I’ve been talking to, Capsize, she was in pain from the rituals, when I tried to help her leave, she told me she was being threatened. They’re forcing her to do the rituals and if she leaves, the cult will kill her brother,” It hurts to say, hurts that I didn’t notice earlier. But it’s important information. Jordan is going to be needed to end this situation so we need to be on the same page. I see Jordan’s freeze, a look of horror on his features. It’s a reaction I understand though it still surprises me.

“Why didn’t Ianite tell me?” He talks in a low tone. I can barely even hear him which makes me almost feel bad for listening. But what I do hear scares me a little. I had never thought to tell him Capsize’s name before now, I hadn’t even thought it an issue since he was pretty sure she was just a cult member. But clearly, this is important to him.

“Do you know her?”

“I… Yes. She’s my friend, her brother too. Last I heard they were doing some exploring for Ianite, at least that what they told me they were going to do before they left. I… I thought Ianite would have told me if something had happened to them if she thought they had died,” He sounds crushed and I can’t blame him, the Gods and their bullshit is always confusing. I understand that they aren’t mortals but sometimes they just seem heartless. It’s part of what drew me away from them, even if I still do work like this for them sometimes. Hopefully, Ianite had an actually good reason for keeping this from him. But, as much as there clearly is something wrong there, there isn’t time to focus on that right now. We need to concentrate on the present and making sure the rituals don’t continue. “We go to attack the place at dawn, screw getting Ianite more information.”

“Then we better get ready then,” I would normally ask if he’s okay, as learning anything bad about Ianite isn’t exactly normal for him. But I don’t want to unintentionally rub salt into the wound. Hopefully tomorrow this will all be over and we can start looking for answers.

And if not, then I’m sure something much worse will have happened.

***

Capsize.

I’m not sure if I’m actually awake despite how I feel aware of my surroundings. My body feels unable to move, and when I do manage to fight through for even the tiniest movement, the amount of pain it causes is astronomical for the amount of pain it causes. I thought the pain would be gone by the morning but it’s just gotten worse. I remember Sonja’s panicked words, that I’m dying. Maybe that’s why the pain has gotten worse. Yet, I still find myself worrying less about whatever is going to happen to me and more about Red. If they were just going to kill me the whole time, what are they planning to do to him? I did all this to stop him from being killed, if it was all just a trick then… Why did we have the bad luck to end up captured by these people?

I hear footsteps coming towards the room, each one causing my heart to beat louder. I was always scared about the rituals, they always felt terrifying, like I was being pushed out of my own body, but now the idea of doing another is beyond fear. A selfish thought believes I should’ve left with Sonja, that Red wouldn’t want me to die, but such thoughts leave me feeling sickened. I can’t leave my brother to save myself, no matter how much he told me I should. He wouldn’t have left me so I can’t leave him. Even as my heart pounds louder and I no longer feel like I can breathe.

Two people come into the room. I expect them to be angry that I haven’t moved, that I haven’t gone to the ritual room as normal, but they don’t seem to have any such reaction. They come over to me, each grabbing one of my arms and starting to drag me to wherever they want me. I attempt to fight back but it isn’t really an option with my current condition. All I manage is to send waves of pain down my arms, not enough to make me stop trying but it’s still uncomfortable. There’s also something unnerving about how little movement can cause me pain. It doesn’t feel right, like something is constricting my movement. It scares me more than anything I’ve seen in the past, and I’m not sure I can imagine something worse.

As I’m dragged into the ritual room, I’m thrown to the ground, only just managing to shield my face to stop it slamming against the stone floor. I lie there for a few long moments attempting to catch my breath. I’m surprised I’m being allowed such time, that no one drags me over to the ritual altar, or kicks me in an attempt to get me to move. I do want to move from my current position but my body just feels so heavy. There’s something wrong, I know something is wrong. I can hear someone moving around me but not approaching me. There’s a sinking feeling. This is the end, I’m sure of it. I hear the doors open again behind me.

“Capsize!” I feel my heart stop as I hear Red. Why is he here? He’s never been here for any of the other rituals, he isn’t meant to be here. I feel myself being moved, so I’m in the position of looking up at my brother as he supports my neck on his healthy arm. I manage to fight through the pain and take his other hand, being as careful as I can see that that arm is still in a sling. I don’t want to admit I’m scared even though I’m sure it’s obvious. “What have they done to you? Why did you have to stay?”

“I couldn’t let you…” I don’t want to finish. I couldn’t let him be killed, but then I imagine myself in his position, seeing him so weak that he’s barely able to move all for my sake, and I know that I’d hate myself.

“She’s going to be a god, the pain is just a temporary side effect,” I hear the leader of this place speak and immediately I attempt to flinch away from him. It doesn’t work, but I still want to get away from him. Yet I also know that isn’t going to happen. If we were going to escape, we would have done so already. That sounds terrible but I’m sure it’s true. I just hope that Red manages to escape without being harmed, that one of us makes it out of here. I doubt I’m leaving; I doubt I’m even going to make it out of this room again. “She will be a higher being soon, but don’t worry, we have a purpose for you too.”

“What do you mean?” Red questions. I feel my heart starting to beat louder and faster. I knew deep down they wouldn’t let him go when they were done with me but I had hoped he’d have the opportunity to escape. But now? Now that hope just feels hollow. He’d need to leave now, and I’d just slow him down. There’s the lingering thought that he could escape if he left me behind with both a hope and a fear that he will.

“Every god needs a champion and I believe you’ll be the perfect person for our newly created job to latch themselves onto,” Before any more questions can be asked, I get roughly pulled away from my brother. I watch as he attempts to stop me from being taken, being kicked to the ground for his troubles. I struggle against the grip as best I can, though it makes little difference if I do anything at all. I’m tied to the ritual table as tears fall my eyes, my ankles and wrists being bound and then tied to hoops on the table. I can turn my head to see Red being tied to a hook just far enough away that he can’t reach me, a small path of blood trickling from his nose. I feel some tears leaking down my cheeks as the reality sets in. I try my best not to focus on what’s going to happen to me even if looking at my brother struggling in an attempt to escape doesn’t make me feel much better.

Both familiar and unfamiliar words are muttered as the ritual is started, the man covering me in cloth and starting to weave jewellery into my hair. Feeling starts to return fully to my body as a heavily scented perfume is poured onto me, pain crawling through me wherever the liquid touches. I bite my lip to stop myself from crying out, Red already looks panicked, I don’t want to hurt him more. That and if I’m going to be killed as Sonja believed, I want some control over my final moments.

Then I hear yelling, and the sounds of distant fighting, the general sounds of chaos growing louder by the second. I don’t quite understand it at first, though I do listen as it seems like a distraction from the situation, but then I hear a familiar voice. It’s just for a moment but even that is long enough for me to realise what’s going on.

“Sonja! Sonja, I’m in here! Sonj—” Some of the cloth is used to form a gag by the leader, his nostrils flared as looks at me with a look of murderous intent. Sonja’s coming, I heard her. I can’t die now.

“Help us! Please they’re going to kill us!” Red starts yelling, getting the attention of the bastard as well as hopefully that of our potential rescuers. I don’t look the way he’s looking at my brother but the expression on Red’s face somehow scares me more. It’s the same look he had just before he lost his eye. I never wanted to see that look again, one of clear willingness to die if that proves his point. Somehow it terrifies me more here than it did the last time, I never thought that would be possible.

“Shut up if you want to stay with one broken arm!”

“Please! He’s… Oh, Gods he’s--!” Red only yells louder before letting out a scream, flashing a smirk that would normally make me roll my eyes but right now does nothing to help the hollow sicky feeling in my stomach. Neither of us are exactly in a position to defend ourselves. I can still picture what happened last time though I wish I couldn’t. I can tell he’s going to keep shouting. At least until I feel cold metal against my neck. I see him freeze as I do too, absolutely terrified of what will happen if I move.

“Shut your mouth or I kill her and start this again will you,” I see Red’s eyes widen as I feel the dagger press against my neck. He falls silent staring at me with wide eyes.

The doors burst open and I find the dagger pressed harder against my throat. I find myself frozen staring at the two who just burst into the room. If it weren’t for the gag, I’d gasp as I see Sonja burst in with Jordan. Both stand wearing armour with their bows trained on the cult leader. Sonja knows Jordan? I… I should’ve left with her; I could’ve explained what was happening. I didn’t think there was any chance someone was looking for us. I had thought they would’ve already come if they were going to be coming at all. If it weren’t for my current position, I’d be happy to be proven wrong. But as I feel the dagger pressing into my neck, I can’t really feel anything but fear.

“Jordan?” Red says as he twists around to look towards the door. His eyes widen and I see Jordan give him a weak smile while keeping his bow trained on the bastard. I meet Sonja’s eyes and see her attempting to smile but it doesn’t reach her eyes and she just looks scared. I didn’t want her to see me like this.

“Drop your weapons or the girl dies,” He repeats his threat to Jordan and Sonja, not sounding scared despite being outnumbered. That doesn’t fill me with confidence given that I’m the one on the chopping block. I want him to back down, realise he’s beaten and surrender given what will probably happen to me if he doesn’t. “Do you want your friend to die?”

“I don’t want her being possessed either so I’d suggest you step away from her or I’ll have to make you,” Sonja’s words barely process in my head, the idea of being possessed both making sense and being unimaginable. Yet it also seems to perfectly explain the pain I’ve felt, it’s like something has been forcing its way into my body while pushing me out. What would’ve happened to me if it had succeeded? Would I have been forced out of my body? Or would I just have been stuck, unable to control anything? Or would I have just died?

“No, I don’t think I will.”

My spiralling thoughts are interrupted by a sudden, sharp pain across my neck. As I realise what’s happened, I see Sonja rushing forward with a yell. Why did this have to happen this way?

***

Sonja.

I barely have time to acknowledge the bastard dropping to the ground, mine and Jordan’s arrows lodged in his body as I rush over to Capsize. He couldn’t just let her live, couldn’t accept he had lost. Her blood running out her neck and onto the ritual table, her position terrifying as I’m sure sacrifices aren’t out of the question for these people. I see Capsize looking at me with wide terrified eyes. The gag in her mouth stops her expressing such fear. I know I should remove it but I struggle to keep the pressure on her neck while attempting to get a potion to stop her from dying so I don’t have a moment to spare.

I pull a bottle from my pack after a struggle. A healing potion. Hopefully, it will heal her though I’ve never used one on something as serious as this. I take a breath to steady myself and then pull the cork out with my teeth. I pour half the bottle out onto the wound. I’ve been told that, if the wound is serious, that applying the potion directly to the wound will do more good than drinking it. Capsize tenses but her wound is healing. I cut the gag away, allowing her to let out a little moan.

“Sonja, you came to help me,” She says as I move round to cut her loose from the table. Her voice sounds a little hoarse but she at least doesn’t sound like she’s dying. Nor does she have the terror in her voice that she had when she was calling out which is a welcome disappearance. I cut the rope from her wrists and hear her sigh in relief. She sits up as I go to free her feet, handing her what remains of the healing potion as I move around. She looks at it with a grimace but downs it anyway. “I didn’t realise you knew Jordan.”

“It didn’t come up until last night, he was surprised too,” I see Capsize tense a little despite how I don’t think I’ve said anything extreme. Yet as I cut her legs loose, she pulls them close to her body. There’s something wrong with what I’ve said, if not why would this be her reaction? I sit next to her, remaining silent as I don’t want to make things worse by attempting to comfort her.

“I… I knew Ianite hadn’t sent anyone to rescue me but when I saw Jordan, I hoped I was wrong,” She sounds mournful, her tone reminding me of Jordan’s last night. I feel an intense disgust towards Ianite, especially as I see Jordan hugging Capsize’s brother, after having freed him, before the two of them walk over. Ianite was willing to let them die for what? Jordan concentrating better? I wish I’d listened to my gut and not agreed to work for her. But there was at least some hood to come out of this job.

I take Capsize’s hand, feeling the warmth and feeling happy. I know saving her here isn’t going to be the end of the problems. We’ll need to work on reversing the rituals she was put through, and we’ll need to figure out why exactly Ianite decided to hide their capture from us, why this wasn’t a rescue mission. Hopefully, the latter doesn’t lead to more trouble. But today at least was a success, with both Capsize and her brother now being soft. Whatever trouble still to come we can deal with at a different point. After all, tomorrow is another day and right now everything is fine.


End file.
